Coat hanger assembly



R. H. OHLERICH COAT HANGER ASSEMBLY Filed Feb. 20, 1953 Nov. 29, 1955 22 I N V EN TOR.

Richard H. Ohlerz'ch WL W, mm-=mm A Horneya OALT HANGER ASSEMBLY Richard H. Ohlerich, Chicago, 11].

Application Eebruary'ZO, 1953, Serial No. 337,989

s Claims. (Cl. 223-92 This invention relates to coat hanger assemblies and more particularly to an assemblyiincluding a conventional wire coat hanger and cover members of cardboard deta'chably applied to the coat hanger to protect garments hung on the coat hanger from creases and sharp folds .and from slipping on the coat hanger.

hanger and will remain firmly in place on the coat hanger while the assembly is in use; in which the two parts of the cover interlock, so that the shoulder bar part of the cover retains the trouser bar part firmly in position on the trouser bar of the coat hanger; and which assembly is simple and durable in construction, economical to provide, and effective in use.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from a consideration of the following description and the appended claims in conjunction with the accompanying drawing wherein:

Figure l is a side elevational view of a coat hanger and cover assembly illustrative of the invention;

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the assembly illustrated in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a bottom plan view of the assembly illustrated in Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary cross sectional view on an enlarged scale on the line 4-4 of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary cross section view on an enlarged scale on the line 5-5 of Figure 1;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary cross sectional view on the line 6-6 of Figure 4;

Figure 7 is a perspective view of one part of the cover portion of the assembly; and

Figure 8 is a perspective view of the other portion of the cover.

With continued reference to the drawing, the numeral 10 generally indicates a wire coat hanger of conventional construction having a hook 11, shoulder bars 12 and 13 extending in respectively opposite directions from one end of the hook and inclined outwardly from the hook and in a direction away from the hook, a trouser bar 15 disposed between the ends of the shoulder bars 12 and 13 remote from the hook 11 and longitudinally curved sections 16 and 17 joining the respectively opposite ends of the trouser bar 15 to the adjacent ends of the shoulder bars 12 and 13.

The cover comprises two elongated strips 18 and 19 of a stiff, yet bendable sheet material, such as cardboard. The strip 18 has a length somewhat greater than the combined length of the two shoulder bars 12 and 13 of the coat hanger, and has at its mid-length location a longitudinally extending opening 20 through which the hook 11 of the coat hanger extends when the strip 18 is applied to the United States Patent 0 ice coat hanger. The'strip .18 has, at its respectively opposite ends, loop formations?! and 22 provided by folding back the end portions of the strip and securingthe ends of the strip to thestrip' at locations spaced from the corresponding ends thereof by suitable means, such .as by cementing the end portions ofthe strip to the strip, or by using 'wire staples or eyelets. Eachfloop has an outer portion and an inner portion, as indicatedlat 23 and 24, for the loop 21 in Figure 4, and the inner portions of the loops are provided with longitudinally extending slits through which the interconnected ends of the trouser bar and shoulder bars are inserted, so that the curved sections 16 and 17 at the opposite ends of the trouser 'bar 15 of the coat hanger are disposed within the loops 21 and 22 of the cover strip 18. The portions of the cover strip 18 between the loops 21 and 22 and the centrally disposed slot 20 overlie the outer sides of the shoulder bars '12 and 13 of the coat hanger to support the shoulder portions of a coat or coat-like garment hung on the hanger.

Thestrip 1 9 "of'the cover has-a length substantially equal to the length of the trouser bar 15 of the hanger, and has terminal extensions "25 and '26 which extend through slits 28, as shown in Figure 6-, in the inner portions of the respective loops 2'1 and 22 of the strip 18.

The engagement" of the terminal extensions 25 and 26 of the strip 19 in the corresponding slits in the inner sides 'of'theloops'21 and 22 of the strip 18' firmly secure the strip 19 in position on the trouser bar 15 of the coat hanger and prevents this cover strip from being displaced from the trouser bar during use of the coat hanger.

The strip 19 is creased along its longitudinal center line, so that the portions thereof at opposite sides of its longitudinal center line are inclined outwardly and downwardly from the trouser bar 15, as illustrated in Figure 5, and this formation also assists in maintaining the strip 19 on the trouser bar of the coat hanger; also due to the inherent resilience of the strip 19, when creased, the opposite sides tend to move away from each other and thus when the extensions or tongues 25 and 26 are inserted in the slits 28 in the respective loops 21 and 22, the sides of the creased strip 19 will frictionally engage the sides of the respective slits to insure against the tongues being accidentally displaced and pulled out of the respective slits.

It is contemplated that the cover strips 18 and 19 will be provided in a flat condition, as illustrated in Figures 7 and 8, and will be applied to coat hangers by persons, such as dry cleaners, tailors or laundrymen, using the coat hangers. When the cover strips are applied to a conventional wire coat hanger, garments hung on the coat hanger are protected against creases and sharp folds and also are prevented from slipping relative to the coat hanger, so that a coat hanger with garments supported thereon can be easily handled and the garments will be in a fresh and uncreased condition when removed from the coat hanger.

From the foregoing, it.will be apparent that there has been provided a first strip 18 of stiff material bendable at its mid-point location to define a pair of divergent legs 30 and 32, and a second strip 19 of stiff material extending between the legs 30 and 32 and having its opposite ends detachably connected to the free ends of the legs 30 and 32. The tongues 25 and 26 on the opposite sides of the strip 19 and the slits 28 through the legs 30 and 32 adjacent their free ends define interengaging means for detachably connecting the strips 18 and 19 together.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiment is, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range I of equivalency of the claims are, therefore, intended to be a cross bar, comprising a first fiat strip of stiff material bendable at its mid-point location to define a pair of divergent legs, saidstrip having an opening transversely therethrough centrally intermediate its ends for receiving therethrough the hook of an associated hanger so that each of said legs overlies the corresponding shoulder bars of the associated hanger, said legs being provided with openings adjacent the free ends thereof for receiving therein opposite ends of the cross bar of the associated hanger to have the legs maintained in their overlying relation to said hanger shoulder bars, and a second strip of stiff material extending between said legs and adapted to overlie and contact the cross bar and having its opposite ends detachably connected in said openings adjacent the free ends of said legs.

2. A cover for a wire hanger having shoulder bars and a cross bar, comprising a first flat strip of stilt material bendable at' its mid-point location to define a pair of divergent legs, said strip having an opening transversely therethrough centrally intermediate its ends for receiving therethrough the hook of an associated hanger so that each of said legs overlies the corresponding shoulder bars of the associated hanger, said legs being provided with openings adjacent the free ends thereof for receiving therein opposite ends of the cross bar of the associated hanger to have the legs maintained in their overlying relation to said hanger shoulder bars, a second strip of stiff material extending between said openings adjacent the free ends of said legs and adapted to overlie and contact the cross bar, interengaging means on the free ends of said legs and the opposite ends of said second strip for detachably connecting the strips together,

3. A cover for a wire hanger having shoulder bars and a cross bar, comprising a first flat strip of stiff material bendable at its mid-point location to define a pair of divergent legs, said strip having an opening transversely therethrough centrally intermediate its ends for receiving therethrough the hook of an associated hanger so that each of said legs overlies the corresponding shoulder bars of the associated hanger, said legs being provided with openings adjacent the free ends thereof for receiving therein opposite ends of the cross bar of the associated hanger to have the legs maintained in their overlying relation to said hanger shoulder bars, each of said legs having a slit therethrough adjacent the free end thereof for receiving therein opposite ends of the cross bar of the associated hanger, and a second strip of stiff material extending between the free ends of said legs and adapted to overlie and contact a cross bar and having a tongue extending longitudinally from opposite ends thereof for detachable engagement within the slit in an adjacent leg.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,229,371 Wordingham June 12, 1917 1,962,399 Littledale June 12, 1934 2,076,133 Melby Apr. 6, 1937 2,434,461 Forcheimer Jan. 13, 1948 

